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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. row — a line
  3. rest — what's left
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mate — a friend
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mate — a partner
  8. row — to paddle
  9. rest — a break
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bear — the animal
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. mate — to breed
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chest — a box
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. tube — a container

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com